Customer Charles Rogers (left) talks with chef Tanya Holland (middle)at Brown Sugar Kitchen in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, February 29, 2014. Rogers hadn't been at the kitchen for awhile but was working out this morning thinking of Holland's homemade pork hash and chicken and waffles.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Customer Charles Rogers (left) talks with chef Tanya Holland...

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Chef Tanya Holland looks for items in storage before opening at Brown Sugar Kitchen in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, February 2, 2014.

There she is making a savory bread pudding with Al Roker on the "Today" show. Whipping up Creole shrimp with cheddar grits in an eight-page spread in O magazine. Glazing a Thanksgiving turkey with bourbon for Food & Wine. Sharing a joke with Mario Batali on "The Chew."

Within the space of 18 months, it seems like Tanya Holland, the first chef to create a destination restaurant in oft-forgotten West Oakland, is everywhere, reinventing soul food.

Ever since the French-trained former Food Network chef opened Brown Sugar Kitchen six years ago in a hardscrabble neighborhood of peeling Victorians and abandoned brick factories, diners have been lining up, 1,800 each week, often waiting 90 minutes for her signature organic buttermilk-fried chicken and cornmeal waffles.

"We're a mom-and-pop shop that's about to pop," says her husband, Phil Surkis.

Oakland dignitaries, grateful that she put a "there there," have named a day after her, and this month Ebony magazine came out with its first-ever chef awards, and guess who topped the list - Holland, dubbed California Chef of the Year by the California Travel Association.

Her second cookbook, "Brown Sugar Kitchen: Recipes and Stories From Everyone's Favorite Soul Food Restaurant," comes out in the fall, a lush history of her award-winning eatery and its regulars, complete with a foreword by local literary giant Michael Chabon.

Ever since Holland mimicked her mother's movements on a play stove in the family kitchen, she's been determined to become a culinary celebrity.

"I want to create an empire," she says, taking a break from the waffle irons. "I would love to have restaurants worldwide. I feel my concept of seasonal soul food can translate to a lot of cultures; African American culture has gone worldwide with hip-hop, but it hasn't been exploited gastronomically."

Branching out

Her second restaurant, B-Side BBQ, in an even more graffiti-pocked section of West Oakland, is gaining steam as resilient followers seek out her on-site smoked brisket and small-batch bourbon cocktails.

"I don't know anyone else who is doing what Tanya does," said Lisa Rogovin, owner of Edible Excursions, which leads culinary tours in San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland.

"She takes what we all care about here - local, seasonal fresh California cuisine - and gives it a funk and soul twist. I'm so happy she's risen to the top in this incredibly competitive market."

Holland is among a group of women breaking the mold of the male celebrity chef.

"It is a boys' club out there, yet there are some wonderful female chefs. They may not be as loud, nor have as many flashy tattoos, but they are educated, experienced and wonderful teachers," says her agent, Kristen Green.

Time magazine's November cover story, "The 13 Gods of Food," featured not one female chef, sparking a national discussion about why women aren't promoted in professional kitchens as quickly as their male counterparts.

But Holland's career appears to be on the fast track.

She is getting unsolicited calls from cooking shows and some exploratory interest from the networks about starting her own show, Green says. The "Today" show is talking about another segment with Holland in the spring, and executives from Oprah's OWN network have reached out to Holland to talk about a possible show.

Holland has put in the time. She worked for a dozen New York kitchens and catering companies, including Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill, and trained at Peter Kump's New York Cooking School (now known as the Institute of Culinary Education), then La Varenne in Burgundy, France, where she studied with cheesemakers, bakers and fishmongers and learned how to make traditional sauces and cook seasonally.

She speaks French and Russian and graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Russian language and literature.

"The vision I have for myself is being a leader in this industry, an expert on the type of cuisine I do," she says.

Food Network calling

In 2000, she felt it start to happen when she got a call from a fledgling channel called the Food Network. Producers were searching for an African American female chef to host a soul food kitchen show for its new series, "Melting Pot." Holland made corn bread during her audition and was hired on the spot.

"The show lasted 2 1/2 seasons, but I never found a way to leverage it," Holland says. "This was before social media."

After the TV show ended, California started to seem much more appealing than jumping back into the competitive New York restaurant world. It was a food region she'd never seen, with a wine industry, and she decided to move in 2003 to Oakland and write a French-African fusion cookbook with modernized soul food.

"Once I landed, the food scene was smaller, and there was more a history of women chefs here. People were more open to me."

She took a walk around Lake Merritt and was bowled over by the diversity. But she couldn't find an upscale soul food restaurant that reflected the new culture.

The food community opened its arms. She met area food editors and bloggers, was welcomed at Yountville's iconic Domaine Chandon winery, and quickly got an agent.

Le Theatre, a former French restaurant in Berkeley, hired her to update its traditional menu with a North African twist.

An online dating site brought Holland and Surkis together. As he drove her to the Oakland hills to search out homes where her relatives had lived, they decided to get a bite, and she suggested barbecue. He paired it with sparkling rosé and left nothing but bones on his plate.

She was smitten, and for their next date she cooked him a meal: North African-spiced short ribs, duck confit, Israeli couscous and a berry pie.

They have been together ever since, and now Surkis' business card says "waffle hustler/rib wrangler." He keeps all their ventures, and 40 employees, running.

Deep roots with food

For Holland, tempering her ambition with the appropriate amount of patience is a balancing act. She stays optimistic by meditating on Sundays at 6 a.m., when she gets to Brown Sugar Kitchen to prepare the batters in her own ritual, and other times by pounding it out at the boxing gym.

A phone call to her parents in Georgia is always a pick-me-up.

"Her drive is one of those natural gifts you are born with; it always impressed me because I've always thought of myself as lazy, an industrial engineer whose job is to come up with easier ways of doing things," says her father, Hollis, 70."But her mother is from Louisiana and she is an excellent cook. Her gumbo is out of this world."

In 1971, her parents started the Gourmet Club, a monthly potluck party that ran for nearly two decades, with six neighborhood couples, three black and three white. Every dinner had a themed menu - Hawaiian, Greek, Mexican, Chinese.

"I remember everyone gathering, the civility of it," Holland said. "It wasn't a buffet, it was a table setting and each course had a wine pairing. I was exposed early to German potato salad, matzo ball soup, chicken cacciatore."

Her lessons in diversity are evident even at the 27-seat B-Side BBQ, which carries the standards like baby back ribs and corn bread, but also barbecue-braised tofu nuggets, seasonal collard greens and smoked mashed yams.

The bar is inventive as well, with drinks such as the Bronze Buckeroo made from Bulleit Rye, velvet falernum, angostura bitters, lime and ginger beer.

Big plans for B-Side

Next door to B-Side is a former auto body shop that Holland and Surkis have turned into an event space called the Barn, where they recently threw a party for the restaurateurs involved in Oakland Restaurant Week.

Her pace is warp speed, and for as much as she takes on, she's always thinking about the next thing. Holland and Surkis are talking about opening a bar in the Barn and increasing the number of seats at B-Side.

Then there's the dream of a third restaurant - a North African-inspired French brasserie along the lines of Balthazar in New York, open around the clock and incorporating some of her greatest hits such as chicken and waffles and smoked brisket. She envisions it in a place like the San Francisco Ferry Building.

"I want to be a brand. I want to be that mentor that I never had," Holland says. "I read business books by successful entrepreneurs more than cookbooks. At heart, that's what I am, an entrepreneur."

For the Jerk Marinade: Combine all the ingredients; cover and set aside until ready to use. If made ahead, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.)

For the Habanero Vinegar: Puree the chile and vinegar in a food processor or blender until smooth. If made ahead, refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 month.

For the Pineapple Glaze: Combine the pineapple juice and brown sugar in a small saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat and cook until thick and reduced by about one-third, about 15 minutes. If made ahead, refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days.

For the Pineapple Salsa: Combine the pineapple, onion, jalapenos, bell pepper, cilantro, oil and lime juice in a bowl. Season with salt. If made ahead, refrigerate in an airtight container up to 8 hours.

For the Jerk Spice Rub: Combine all the ingredients except the ribs; set aside.

For the ribs: Use a butter knife to loosen the membrane off the bone side of the ribs. Grab it with a paper towel and pull it toward the other end of the slab to remove it. Rub the Jerk Spice Rub evenly over the ribs. Arrange the ribs in a 15- by 10-inch roasting pan. Pour the Jerk Marinade over the ribs, turning to coat both sides. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.

Remove ribs from the marinade, letting the excess drip off. Transfer the ribs to a rimmed baking sheet and let come to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Brush with the Habanero Vinegar.

To cook ribs using a charcoal grill: Prepare grill for indirect cooking over medium heat. Place a shallow metal pan filled with water in the center of the grill and arrange the hot coals around it. Lightly oil the grill grates. Place the ribs, meat side up, on the grate above the water-filled pan, cover the grill, and cook until tender, 1 1/2-2 hours. Add coals as needed to maintain medium heat. After 45 minutes, brush the ribs with some of the Pineapple Glaze, and brush them two or three times before serving. Do not flip the ribs during cooking.

To cook ribs using a gas grill: Preheat the grill with all the burners on high. Lightly oil the grill grates. Place the ribs, meat side up, on the grate, turn off the burner directly under the ribs, and reduce the other burners to medium heat. Cover the grill and cook until tender, 1 1/2-2 hours. After 45 minutes, brush the ribs with some of the Pineapple Glaze, and brush them two or three times before serving. Do not flip the ribs during cooking.

To finish: When the ribs are done, they will be well browned and the meat will have shrunk back from the ends of the bones. Transfer the ribs to a cutting board, let stand 5 minutes, then cut into individual ribs.

Serve warm, with the Pineapple Salsa.

Nutrition information: The calories and other nutrients absorbed from marinades and rubs vary and are difficult to estimate. Therefore, this recipe contains no analysis.

Roasted Green Beans With Sesame Seed Dressing

Serves 6

Sesame seeds made their way into the Southern kitchen with the slaves who were brought here from Africa. Often called benne seeds in the South, they were one of the many exotic ingredients brought to this country that we now take for granted. This recipe is from Tanya Holland's upcoming cookbook, "Brown Sugar Kitchen: Recipes and Stories from Everyone's Favorite Soul Food Restaurant" (Chronicle Books; September 2014).

3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar

2 tablespoons tahini

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 pound green beans, trimmed

-- Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 450° and place a rack to the top position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, stir together the garlic, oil, vinegar, tahini, sesame seeds and red pepper flakes. Add the green beans and toss until evenly coated. Season with salt and black pepper.

Spread the beans in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Roast, tossing occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.